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Posts by scorpio  

Joined: 15 Nov 2007 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 30 May 2011
Threads: Total: 20 / In This Archive: 17
Posts: Total: 188 / In This Archive: 143 		From: Poland, Tarnow
Speaks Polish?: Yes...but not perfectly
Interests: Nature, Hiking, Camping, Mountain Biking, Swimming

Displayed posts: 160 / page 5 of 6
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scorpio   
14 Jan 2009
Real Estate / Real Estate hits a new low in Poland [86]

Exactly what is this obsession with farmland? Are highly paid corporate employees more likely to need city centre apartments or farmland?

I did not only focus on 'farmland' specifically. My comment mentioned "Land" (could be agricultural, commerical, industrial), "forest", and 'farms" (arable land with or without building structures), "etc". There is no obsession at all. I was only pointing out the different forms of real estate, which reflects that land prices in Poland continue to rise or remain stable because they are still so much lower than prices in most Western European EU countries, with the exception of the Eastern region of some parts of Germany. Also, my comment was mainly for 'potential investors', and not 'corporate employees' who are only in Poland for job and employment purposes.

Actually. it wouldn't be a bad idea for a highly paid corporate employee to invest in some vacant farm which contains a home that can be renovated nicely, and is located on the outskirts of a major city where the employment is. That would be nicer to own than a flat if you enjoy breathing space. It also depends on what type of lifestyle you are looking for though. It certainly isn't for everyone.
scorpio   
16 Jan 2009
Real Estate / Real Estate hits a new low in Poland [86]

Sorry scorpio, I didn't mean you specifically

No problem! :-)

Is the proportion of American buyers particularly high?

You can count me into that statistic.

From my point of view, I purchased a apartment approximately 8 months ago and I can say quite honestly that it has gone down in price some 10 to 15%

Over 7 years ago, I purchased two vacant farms and rebuilt a house and two other buildings on one of them. My holdings include over 10 hectares of mostly forest. I must say, since 2001, the value of my property has increased quite dramatically.

I would think, almost anyone who bought around the year 2001 or before that, made out nicely. Can anyone else give your story? I'm curious.
scorpio   
18 Jan 2009
Travel / Winter Scenes from a Polish Mountain Village [9]

The snow got me into a photo mood today, so I decided to make a few snapshots to share with you from my village. The winter scenery is so placid and beautiful!

Please share your village winter photos?


  • South - Jastrz阞ia

  • My cozy nest :-)

  • North - Siemiech體
scorpio   
19 Jan 2009
Travel / Winter Scenes from a Polish Mountain Village [9]

ukpolska, where are you located? The forest looks nice and plentiful!

Prince, Vivaldi's 'Winter' is nice with the video!

Here's another!


  • Wooden Wagon
scorpio   
31 Jan 2009
Life / Divorce rates in Poland [26]

According to a recent article, theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090130.wdivorce31/BNStory/International/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20090130.wdivorce31 in Warsaw, romance is in recession

Is it time to make sure you sign a prenuptial agreement (marriage contract) prior to tying the knot in Poland or with a Pole? The statistics are awfully scary and speaks for itself. Has newly found capitalism, freedom, and EU membership torn apart historically strong social bonds in Poland, or are unhappy marriages now being served moral justice?
scorpio   
4 Feb 2009
Law / KRUS - Farmer's Insurance Question and Help [10]

I checked that and looks like everyone, who owns more than 1 hektar przeliczeniowy of farming land and doesn't pay ZUS (as an employee or a business owner) MUST pay KRUS.

This isn't true according to what I heard. I recently spoke to a KRUS representative and they told me a farmer in Poland only has to pay for it if they 1) Want to be insured, and / or, 2) Wish to have a farmer's pension at the age of 65 years old. The two components or KRUS (insurance and pension) can be either paid for individually, or combined. So, it is optional. If a farmer doesn't pay KRUS, he/she simply won't be insured or be receiving a pension in the future.

KRUS must be paid from the time you had title to your property if you wish to become eligible for it.
scorpio   
6 Feb 2009
Travel / Best place to rest in Poland [12]

were is the best place to rest in poland

In my village of course, in the Carpathian foothills! There is no other place like it in Poland. :-)
scorpio   
6 Feb 2009
Travel / Best place to rest in Poland [12]

any pics please?

I've only got recent Winter photos, if that will do. If you conduct a search on these forums, you should be able to locate some of the photos which I have posted since the time I have joined.

When someone seeks a place to 'rest', I define that as being a place which is quiet, uncrowded, full of nature, clean air, clean water, and full of privacy. Of course, most villages and spas in Poland will fit these descriptions very easily.

I'm only boasting my village because I live here. Is my view being slanted? Yes!
scorpio   
11 Feb 2009
Law / KRUS - Farmer's Insurance Question and Help [10]

if a person isn't paying ZUS & has at least 1 hectare,they MUST pay KRUS.

Again, I disagree. Many friends and neighbors of mine who are farmers and have over 3 hectares of land, never paid KRUS yet, and they dont have ZUS. They never have been contacted by either KRUS or ZUS on the matter, and never got penalized for it. Insurance isn't obligatory in Poland, just like it isn't in most countries. If you want a pension or to be insured, then you pay it. If not, then don't. I pay it because I would like to have a medical plan and get a pension. It's your decision. If you can find Polish Law applicable to this and provide a link, please do so.
scorpio   
30 Mar 2009
Real Estate / Current price of Homes in Poland [41]

...the prices of realestate are going down
with a speed of around minus 3-5% depreciation per month.

This is too general and inaccurate. You must be more specific as to what category of real estate in Poland is losing value. You probably mean 'flats'. Private houses on a decent parcel of land are not going down in value.
scorpio   
29 May 2009
Travel / Need a quiet escape in Poland (walking, romantic) - recommendations? [15]

If you enjoy walking, nature, and the beautiful outdoors, then my area (30 km south of Tarnow, near Zakliczyn) in the Carpathian Foothills is the perfect place. I don't mean to advertise, but I do run an informal, inexpensive guest house with excellent transportation links to Tarnow, Krakow, and Nowy Sacz.
scorpio   
26 Jun 2009
Life / The Quality of Water In Poland. Should we boil and filter it? [38]

My spring water is known to produce constant multiple orgasms in both sexes. It's so healthy, the former owner of this property is currently 92 years old and already went through 2 husbands. No chlorine, no bacteria, all natural. :)
scorpio   
7 Jul 2009
News / Polish scientists synthesise fuel from CO2 and water [14]

What is really sad here is that one of the reasons for releasing this press statement is a desperate attempt by the University to gain funding from the Government as they have serious financial problems at the moment. The other reason is that there is an industrial dispute at the University at the moment where they want to privatise all the cleaning services and this press release is meant as a smoke screen.

They stand no chance of developing this project and all credit will go to an American University who have unlimited funding and will finalise the project within two years.

I recently read about this innovation in a Warsaw Business Journal article, referring to this previously mentioned project in Polish Market Online. It seems like the 'idea' has become a 'reality'. Sounds really big.

Now, can someone please tell me, if this is in fact a real discovery, then how come it hasn't made international headlines yet? I searched all over the place on 'Google', and still came up with nothing.
scorpio   
20 Jul 2009
News / New York Post : "Polish" Death Camps and more [278]

A New York Post article penned by ISABEL VINCENT and MELISSA KLEIN, dated July 19, 2009, entitled "300 NAZIS STILL GO FREE IN AMERICA", commits historical revisionism and slander via biased reporting full of errors.

Here are three segments which need to be corrected:

"Mykola Wasylyk of upstate Ellenville, who ran a Catskills bungalow colony renting cabins to Jewish visitors. He served as a perimeter guard at the Trawniki labor camp in Poland."

Trawniki labor camp did not exist in Poland because Poland as an independent nation did not exist on the map of Europe after being occupied by the Germans and Russians. Trawniki was a German built labor camp located in German occupied Poland.

"Demjanjuk was stripped of his US citizenship in 1981, when he was believed to be "Ivan the Terrible," a guard at Poland's Treblinka death camp."

Again, it was not "Poland's" death camp. Treblinka was a German death camp set up in German occupied Poland. Independent Poland did not exist any longer.

"US prosecutors began a new case in 1999, accusing Demjanjuk of working as a guard at a different Polish camp."

These were not "Polish" camps. They were German ones.

Why are such errors [or purposely orchestrated provocations by the media] being made time and time again. An even a bigger shame is that some of the authors of such articles are of Jewish background, and such mistakes, if they are indeed mistakes, should not be made. Even if the authors submit their articles to be printed for hard copy or online publication, where are the Editors who are responsbile to overlook statements for historical accuracy?
scorpio   
20 Jul 2009
News / New York Post : "Polish" Death Camps and more [278]

There is no excuse for poor journalism and misrepresentation of historical and geographic facts. It is true, that there are certain individuals in all countries that do not possess an adequate knowledge of history or geography, and they have the tendency to believe what they read. The abused "Polish Death Camp" and "located in Poland" phrases have been a highly publicized issue for a very long time. So why is the media still using those terms? I believe at this point it appears to be more of a provocation rather than poor reporting containing innocent errors.
scorpio   
25 Jul 2009
Travel / Can someone give me information on Eastern Poland? [10]

Eastern Poland is part of the 'true' Polish lands which extended out to Pi艅sk and Tarnopol prior to WWII, unlike Western Poland which was once occupied and mixed with Germans and Prussians. In the East, you will find more of the traditional and real Poland. It is generally poorer than the West and more agricultural based, but the cities, towns, and villages are quite nice.

Also, for those interested in Jewish traditions, Eastern Poland contained most of the Shtetls during the high point of Jewish culture prior to the holocaust. In fact, most of the Shtetls were located in the area around Kresy, during at times was part of the Pale of Jewish settlement.

I reside between Tarn贸w and Nowy S膮cz, which is considered South-Eastern Poland, part of former Austrian Galicia (Galicja). This area is the heart of Polish culture.
scorpio   
29 Jul 2009
Real Estate / Poland's next property boom [5]

Interesting article entitled "Poland's Next property boom" recently in the Warsaw Business Journal, written by Tim Hill who is the operations director for Mamdom.

It still surprises me that these opinions never seem to reflect the prices of real property (land, forest, pastures, small and large farms, etc.). They only focus on flat prices in large cities.

I do agree that property prices will start to rise again in all sectors, especially for agricultural properties and farms.

Overall, Mr. Hill expressed a fair opinion.
scorpio   
30 Jul 2009
Real Estate / Poland's next property boom [5]

I already posted a link to this article

Thanks for letting me know! I must have overlooked it, sorry about that.

These types of articles only seem to focus on 'flats', and this alone doesn't truly represent the entire real estate market in any country.

Each sector of the market must be analyzed separately, and not lumped into one. Flats, Building plots under 1 hectare, Farmland exceeding 1 hectare, Farms with buildings which include arable land, forests, commercial property, etc. Not all of these sectors perform equally.
scorpio   
30 Jul 2009
News / New York Post : "Polish" Death Camps and more [278]

Anyone notice which paper the article appeared in? The New York Post which is a tabloid-like sensationalist rag anyway...

Agreed. Although, it is dentrimental for the sake of historical accuracy when unknowledgeable readers take such misrepresented information as the truth or a fact. Unfortunately, when something is printed enough, time and time again in the media, this type of reader begins to believe in what is written. Hence, a sizeable proportion of this type of reader exists in the population of amost every country.

It doesn't matter if a given publication has the reputation of being intellectual, a rag, or mediocre at best. Careful editing and factual reporting is essential for the sake of accuracy. Where are the editors who filter these articles for errors prior to hitting the press, whether online or in physical print?
scorpio   
30 Jul 2009
History / Bielski Brothers - does anyone know the story? [38]

How can you say that?! It doesn't glorify the local gentile population at all!

Harry must be referring to the communist affiliated Russian gentiles that assisted some of the Polish Jews in murdering Catholic Poles.
scorpio   
30 Jul 2009
History / Bielski Brothers - does anyone know the story? [38]

To be more precise, Harry meant to say that there were complete and utter bastards on all sides in WWII (the Bielskis were indeed bastards). However, these days it is unfortunately very rare to find Jews who will agree that not all Jews were complete angels and all too common to find Jews who say that all Jews were angelic victims and any Jewish person who did anything wrong was either a communist or a non-religious or self-hating Jew and therefore not a Jew!
scorpio   
1 Aug 2009
History / 64th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising [71]

When walking the streets of Warsaw today, it's difficult to absorb that the city was totally laid to waste, ruins, and rubble. It boggles the mind. Against all odds, without any Marshall Plan aid money from the USA, the determined Poles have rebuilt Warsaw into a beautiful city once again, though they really had no choice and in many cases no voice in some of the select architectual styles and city planning due to the lack of funding and the ruling communists of that time.

The Poles achieved the impossible, when others were sure that constructing a new city on top of rubble could not be accomplished. Congratulations to the Poles (Catholic, Jewish, and of other faiths) who took part in both the hopeless uprising of 1944 and the ghetto uprising of 1943, rebuilt and repopulated their historical city.
scorpio   
18 Aug 2009
Genealogy / Anyone Else 1/2 Polish??? [58]

If basing ethnicity on my 8 great-great grandparents (I think this is an excellent measure), I am:

Polish: 5/8 = 62.5%
Ukrainian: 3/8 = 37.5%

Slavic: 100%
scorpio   
11 Sep 2009
News / 'The Shrine' movie - set in Poland [9]

"The Shrine" steals ideas from the film "Hostel". Both involve a backpacker being abducted, except in "Hostel", the setting was in Slovakia and there were no supernatural forces involved.

I have been living in a remote village in south-east Poland for a while now, and according to the initial film trailer, in no way does "The Shrine" accurately depict life here. Pure slander and Hollywood junk.
scorpio   
7 Oct 2009
Real Estate / LAND PURCHASE IN POLAND FROM RETIREE [10]

We are interested in purchasing a small plot of farmland from a relative in order to build a house.

First of all, in order to purchase farmland in Poland, one must either hold Polish citizenship, or receive permission the government Interior Ministry.

Second, to be allowed to contruct a home on arable farmland, you must have permission from your local gmina to have the land zoned for a building plot.

Starting in the year 2012, the property law will change to allow any foreigner within the European Union to purchase farmland in Poland.

Hope this clarifies things a bit.
scorpio   
7 Oct 2009
Real Estate / LAND PURCHASE IN POLAND FROM RETIREE [10]

Thanks, my wife is a Polsih citizen. Are there any restrictions on her purchase since she currently doesn't have a residence in Poland.

Sorry for the typos in my original response (typing to fast!). :)

The most important documents which your wife should possess as proof of her Polish citizenship is the Dow贸d Osobisty, and a Polish Passport, the former taking precedence. In order to hold or obtain a Dow贸d Osobisty, one must establish residence in Poland, or, have permission from someone with a current residence to have a Dow贸d Osobisty using that address. Residence means a flat or home with a legal address and zip code. An empty piece of land will not due, and won't qualify you for a Dow贸d Osobisty...not even a piwnica (vegetable cellar)!!! ;)

That said, if your wife has all of these documents, there are no restrictions on property purchases in Poland, except for: If you plan to purchase arable farmland in excess of 1 hectare, this qualifies for a 'farm'. In order to buy or own a farm, one must either be a farmer already, OR have 5+ years of farming experience, OR have taken classes in farming. However, that may change in 2012 since every 'foreigner' under the sun will be buying up Polish farmland.